Affection

The girl was so small

She barely could crawl

She craved only good things to come her way

Mother was toiling

Her children no spoiling

Too much to do, getting through a day

The girl in the middle

Would play third fiddle

To two others demanding their mother away

Although not apparent

It left issues inherent

Becoming the girl, now a woman today

Soon out on her own

The coop she had flown

Her way being honest, hard-working perfection

Attractive to men

She’d use it, and then

It seemed she could fill that void of affection

Something was lacking

Her sanity cracking

As issues of abandonment came to the surface

Relationships short

Or longstanding, to abort

Left a woman unrealized, a life without purpose

Children were born

But the marriage, a thorn

To be removed at the close of child-rearing

Now single again

Her newest campaign

Was to find her true calling, to keep persevering

This work would reveal

A heart that could heal

To give and receive a love everlasting

How long might it take

A whole woman to make

And finally search out the man, fit the casting

Five years now, it seems

To secure her dreams

The man has appeared and seems more than willing

He’s smart and appealing

With a message of healing

Perhaps the woman’s dream now fulfilling

The man finds a spot

A place she forgot

And works on her kindly, her spirit restores

The void slowly fills

It gives her the chills

She knows in her heart that her spirit now soars

Lip Gloss Withdrawals

What a life I have of comfort and bliss

Nothing at all seems to be amiss

I like what I do, I enjoy the repose

Rarely to suffer or meet any blows

There was a time when all seemed chaotic

Could always find ways to be a neurotic

Life wasn’t easy or golden for me

But one thing of comfort was practically free

Lip gloss, my safety, a haven, my refuge

Shelter from all that was scary, the deluge

The dryness, exposure of lip-skin to air

Gave rise to a shake and a shudder, I swear

A balm that I’ve used from the time I was little

My mother passed down, a lasting committal

It always seemed nice, to slather it on

A product I knew I could rely upon

What’s scary now is I’ve tossed it away

Have let go the habit, and not just half way

Knowing of late of this lifelong addiction

I’m struggling now with a new affliction

Feeling vulnerable, almost naked it seems

Something you’d feel when exposed to extremes

The burn of dry lips although still quite silken

Nothing amiss, but raw, with some friction

Talking is different, takes more of an effort

My mouth is more arid, much like a desert

I don’t really have much to say anyway

You might find a quieter me, every day

Smiling is important to my happiness

I don’t want to find myself doing it less

But what of this tension, this stretch that I feel?

Why does this have to be such an ordeal?

Gone is my habit of lubricated protection

Don’t want to kiss Mom though I feel that affection

Kissing’s the thing that got me here

The man of my dreams wanting lips only bare

What else now is bare, so raw and exposed?

It can’t just be lips, worth poems to compose

Something just under my skin needs protecting

Some kind of battle inside, I’m suspecting

What if I just let it go, drop the armor?

I might not quite be this eloquent charmer

The one with the constant and ready smile

I might need to sit with this feeling a while

Oh lips of mine, please, let the dryness cease

My natural moisture, where’s the increase?

My water consumption I must say has jumped

Headaches on the run, that gets me pumped!

In the meantime, nothing to do but wait

See if things change, to fill my new plate

With one more addiction gone by the wayside

I’ll let go the madness, and then will take pride

But not too much of that, I’m afraid

Addictions run in a number of ways

Ego could cause my head to grow big

Don’t want to find myself being a prig

So I’ll leave it at that, my lips still annoying

Not much to be seen here that I’m not enjoying

Except for the nagging, calling from the trash

Where my former collection of lip glosses amassed

Slow Down

To walk in grace requires only

That I slow down just a little

Take the time to be careful with

Baby steps, observing each movement

I know how to love, to quench

That thirst that drives me on

The question is, how do I

Apply the brakes to ease in slowly?

What I found out about myself

Is that I can walk gracefully,

But I stumble into love too fast

Do I resist diving in head-first?

No rushing into the bliss of love

It cannot be quick and be real

Taking my time, feeling each movement

Is the only way to go to that place

The better route to take

The nicer place to occupy,

This is called self-love

I can arrive there alone or with another

And so the destination shifts

The way becomes clear

Love will be there waiting for me

But it is a different love altogether

The ambience is a changed hue

And knowing there is no hurry

Yearning and wishing for the bliss

I am finding it along the way

I can now slow down

To a pace that fits my mobility

It is indeed all right, with light

To guide me into the ecstasy

Silent Meeting

Incomplete silence attending our meeting

My heart clearly pounding a thunderous beating

No uttering words, yet my ears hear a riot

Of sounds from nature, not the least bit of quiet

Nervous and jittery energy abound

Watching for your approach, the corner you round

The tree overhead making thundering applause

The wind through leaves most likely the cause

In those ticking seconds nothing is said

Not a single thought except to clear my head

Inhaling deeply, I catch your essence

Thereby quite happy to feel your presence

Our lips touching slightly, ever so calm

Soft and tentative, much as a balm

Two tongues testing timidly, nervous, in haste

Enough to introduce your pleasing taste

Happiness suddenly crowding my head

And knowing completely, no reason for dread

Instantly having a comfortable feeling

Two souls shall unite, begin the unpeeling

Held firm in your arms, my heart taking flight

The feeling inexplicable yet constant and right

From here possibilities seem endless and true

I’ll always remember the first meeting of you.

Muse Awakening

Open the door to wakefulness.
Struggle against the overpowering urge to slumber.
Open it just a crack, then let it fall, let it close
Back into sleep, ah, sweet slumber.

Try again. How much time passed?
Not ready to look at the clock,
Sweet slumber pulls me back once again
Into its warm, soft embrace.

But I must open the door, let the light in.
Darkness pulls me back, says quietly:
No, please stay. You feel so good.
The bed isn’t so lonely as it was last night.

What finally decides the moment?
The time when I step through the door
And find myself facing a new day?
Is it that little bit of light seen through closed eyelids?

And what do I make of this niggling thought
Pushing at the back of my consciousness?
Too easy to fall back to the sweet slumber
Of routine, not listen to the still, small voice.

Oh, but it’s there, ever present as the day.
What is it about the darkness, the ignorance,
That is so inviting?
It’s that comfortable, all-embracing complacency.

But I see the slit of light through the
Door that is slightly ajar.
And I want to go there.
I want to see the miracle of God.

It’s a step out of sweet slumber
That comes to me only occasionally,
When the stars, the planets and the moon
Are aligned just so.

So, at these rare moments
I must kick off the covers and follow
The light wherever it may lead me.
Through a day full of precious moments.

Here I can create, with words, with music
Whatever the voice is telling me.
To shirk off the comfort, to seize this day
And create God’s will.

The muse is here!
I let the voice come through me
Until, once again, the warm bedclothes
Embrace me at the end of the day.

Missing You

Each day I awake

And thinking of you

I go about it with determination

Each day is interesting

And new and fun

But you’re not in it and I long for you

I count days passing

I gage what time I have left

Until next we are in each other’s arms

And yet, living in the moment

Makes sense

And so I strive to do that with you gone

It starts with meditation

Smoking my thoughts

And counting breaths as the clock ticks

Distracting myself

But for the feelings

I might otherwise have in your absence

I take the time

To notice my belly

And the undertones of dis-ease

Where are you

At this moment

What thoughts go through your mind?

Lo, I have a message

The one you left

As you were heading into the mountains

That I cannot see you

Hear you, touch you

Might I become the berries you count?

Ah, but life is good

Whole, complete

Healthy, happy and wonderful

End of day arrives

With nothing left on my plate

But much accomplished and lo and behold

I look at myself

And say with a smile

One more day to cross off